“GEGHARD”
SCIENTIFIC ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATION

2025

An anti-Armenian, pseudo-scholarly, and unethical journal published in Turkey

The Geghard Foundation has submitted a formal complaint to international academic databases requesting a review of ethical violations committed by the journal Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi (ISSN 2148-2292).

Numerous articles published in this journal, which is indexed in several international academic databases such as the Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE)–WorldCat, SCIENCE INDEX RU, ERIH PLUS, The Open Ukrainian Citation Index (OUCI), Index Copernicus, EuroPub, Scientific Indexing Service, HINARI (United Nations’ Database), Korea Open Access Platform for Researchers (KOAR), and the Harvard University Database, violate principles of academic ethics.

An analysis of materials published in the journal in 2024–2025 has revealed numerous violations of academic and ethical standards, manifested in:

  1. Publication of materials containing overt falsifications and distortions of historical facts;
  2. Dissemination of xenophobic and anti-Armenian rhetoric under the guise of academic research;
  3. Politically motivated interpretation of historical events without references to academically recognized sources;
  4. Provision of false information about the journal's inclusion in databases where it is not actually indexed.

Here are several examples of problematic publications: “Territorial claims against the Republic of Armenia under the guise of ‘Western Azerbaijan,’ ” “The expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Western Azerbaijan and the concept of their return,” the unsubstantiated accusation of an alleged “Azerbaijani genocide,” the claim that Armenians destroyed the Blue Mosque in Yerevan (which was restored in the 1990s and operates unhindered), and others.

Such publications are not only in violation of academic ethics but also contradict international academic standards and the Code of Publication Ethics.

You can find the full letter below:

Official Complaint Regarding Violations of Academic Ethics in the Journal Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi (ISSN 2148-2292)
Dear Colleagues,
We hereby express our concern regarding the content of several publications in the academic journal Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi (ISSN: 2148-2292), published in Turkey and claimed to be indexed in a number of international academic databases, including yours.
An analysis of materials published in the journal in 2024–2025 has revealed numerous violations of academic and ethical standards, manifested in:
  1. Publication of materials containing overt falsifications and distortions of historical facts;
  2. Dissemination of xenophobic and anti-Armenian rhetoric under the guise of academic research;
  3. Politically motivated interpretation of historical events without references to academically recognized sources;
  4. Provision of false information about the journal's inclusion in databases where it is not actually indexed.
Examples of problematic publications:
  • "Qərbi Azərbaycan Tarixinə Dair Sənəd Axınının Təşəkkülü və İnkişafı" – Nadir İsmayılov, Daşqin Məhəmmədli, 2025
    Open territorial encroachment on the Republic of Armenia under the guise of "Western Azerbaijan."
  • "Deportations of Azerbaijanis From West Azerbaıjan and the Concept of Return" – Fazil Baxşeliyev, 2024
    Accusations of alleged "genocide of Azerbaijanis" without scientific evidence, which is politically motivated and an extremely sensitive topic.
  • "İrəvan Şəhərində İslam İrsinə Qarşı Erməni Vandalizmi" – Nazim Mustafa, 2024
    Claims that Armenians destroyed the Blue Mosque in Yerevan, despite the fact that it has been restored and continues to function to this day.
  • Additionally:
    • "Azərbaycanın Qarabağ zəfərinə gedən yolu" – Hikmet Abdullayev, 2024
    • "1905-1906-ci illərdə Zəngəzur hadisələri…" – Bahtiyar Hasanov, 2024
    • "Ermənistanın İşğal və Blokada Siyasətinin Naxçıvana Təsirləri…" – Rena Qurbanova, 2024
    • and others.
Many of these texts, under the guise of academic research, actually disseminate nationalist propaganda, politically motivated narratives, and xenophobic attitudes that contradict international academic standards and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code.
Also of concern is the fact that the journal's website lists databases in which the journal is not indexed, including:
  • China Academic Journals Full-text Database
  • Scilit
  • others
This misleads authors and readers, which constitutes a violation of academic integrity.
In connection with the above, we request that you:
  1. Conduct an ethical and scientific review of the aforementioned publications and the journal's policy;
  2. Consider excluding the journal from your index database (or not including it, if it is not already included);
  3. Require the journal's editorial board to correct the information on the official website regarding false claims about indexing;
  4. Notify the applicant of the results of consideration of this complaint.
We hope for your high assessment of the importance of maintaining academic integrity and thank you for your attention to this matter. If necessary, we are ready to provide additional materials and analysis.
Geghard Scientific Analytical Foundation

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